WooSox Take Two of Three to Open Season, Beat Syracuse 8-1

April 2, 2023 – International League (IL) – Worcester Red Sox News Release

WORCESTER, M.A. – The Worcester Red Sox’ (2-1) offense led the way once again in a series-clinching victory, a 8-1 win over the Syracuse Mets (1-2) on Sunday afternoon at Polar Park.

In his first regular season outing with the Red Sox organization, Norwith Gudiño (1-0) delivered the WooSox’ best start of the young season. The right-hander went five scoreless innings, walking three and giving up just two hits in the first victory for a Worcester starter this season.

Gudiño’s offense grabbed an early lead, putting runners on second and third in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, Daniel Palka grounded out to first, allowing David Hamilton to trot home with the game’s first run.

Leading 1-0 in the fourth, Ryan Fitzgerald lifted an opposite field double down the left field line. A passed ball moved him to third, and Ronaldo Hernandez made it 2-0 WooSox on a line drive double to left.

Hernandez, making his first appearance of the season at Triple-A, led qualified Worcester hitters in batting average (.261) and slugging percentage (.451) last year.

Following Gudiño’s departure, Syracuse manufactured their only run of the day versus reliever Joe Jacques. After a Jonathan Arauz double put two in scoring position, Ronny Mauricio’s RBI groundout cut the Mets’ deficit to 2-1. Jacques got out of it without further trouble, and an inning later, the Worcester offense responded.

Back-to-back walks began the bottom of the seventh, and a throwing error from Brett Baty allowed Bobby Dalbec to score from second. With runners on first and third, Syracuse reliever Josh Walker’s pickoff attempt sailed wide at first, bringing home another run.

Four batters later, Greg Allen busted the game wide open, smashing a two-run double off the Worcester Wall in right to extend the home team’s lead to 7-1. The swing gave Allen six RBI over his first three games in the Red Sox organization.

In the bottom of the eighth, Bobby Dalbec broke an 0-for-8 start to the season with a 111 mile-per-hour line drive to left-center-by the time it was retrieved, Dalbec was standing on third with a triple. Palka was next, and he ripped a single up the middle for his second RBI of the day.

Over its first three games at home, Worcester scored 25 runs on 28 hits against the Mets.

On the mound, Chase Shugart, Ryan Sherriff and A.J. Politi finished the afternoon with scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth and ninth…